MSX FM-music fans, look here!

Enlighted (5917)

07-04-2016, 20:47

I just got an funny idea! When we tend to have all these FM-chips just idling, why don't we use them to get a thicker sound?

... this is why I now created this "Moonblaster 1.4 chorus player". While normally Moonblaster 1.4 plays tunes that are created for MSX-MUSIC & MSX-AUDIO, I decided to double that! It is well known trick that when you play same notes with pitch that is very similar, but not same, you will create chorus effect!

So... to play ALL of the FM-channels with chorus you need 2x FM-PAC and Moonsound. Other of the two FM-PACs can be replaced with any MSX-MUSIC (embedded or external) but at least one needs to be the original Panasoft FM-PAC. If you don't have Moonsound, you probably don't have 2x MSX-AUDIO setup either... but if I'm wrong, you can use those as well.

Minimum requirement for the software (apart from FM chips) is MSX1 with 64KB RAM & disk drive. Menu & loader is done on BASIC, so feel free to modify it if you feel the need. The BASIC replayer on the disk is made by BiFi and you can find instructions from the disk as well. MBM songs can be just dropped to the disk. I embedded to the disk image few songs I downloaded from the MRC downloads database as an example. (I hope you don't mind)

With SELECT-key you can change frequency (Minimum requirement MSX2) and with ESC you can exit... Rest... I think you'll figure out. I was also too lazy today to add any graphics.

Have fun!

The download is here!

Ps. Please note: If you plan to use 2xMSX-AUDIO setup one of the cartridges needs to be hardware configured to be 2nd! (No, I don't know the details as I've not done that.)

By tvalenca

Paladin (747)

07-04-2016, 21:33

NYYRIKKI,

What's the difference between the original FM-PAC and other compatible cartridges? (or MSX2+ and TR internal FM) Do they run on different I/O ports?

About the two MSX-Audio, I know that the first one answer to ports #C4 and #C5, and the "secondary one" IIRC answers to ports #C0 and #C1 (I'm not sure if they answer to ports #C2,#C3, #C6 and #C7 thou). All the I/O addresses I mentioned here are on Grauw's page (which is blocked where I work so I can't check right now).

Interestingly, the Moonsound answers to ports #C0, #C1, #C2, and #C3, and is also binary compatible with MSX-Audio ***EXCEPT FOR THE ADPCM REGISTERS***. So, the Moonsound should be able to play the "secondary MSX-Audio" FM part. (If I was right about the I/O ports).

Anyway, great job!

Edit: That's exactly what I thought, Pencioner!

By Pencioner

Scribe (1518)

07-04-2016, 21:30

So, i have MSX2+ with MSX-Music (namely Wavy 70FD), the external FM-PAC Light cartridge and the Moonsound cartridge (Wozblaster), is it sufficient? I'm not sure what's the difference between original Panasonic FM-PAC and MSX-Music present in MSX2+ though (since the audio chip is equal).

By Manuel

Ascended (18724)

07-04-2016, 21:46

cool, I tried it with all sound chps inserted. I got sound on FM-PAC and MSX-MUSIC and on AUDIO1 and AUDIO2, but not on MoonSOund. How to enable that?

By tvalenca

Paladin (747)

07-04-2016, 21:48

Manuel wrote:

cool, I tried it with all sound chps inserted. I got sound on FM-PAC and MSX-MUSIC and on AUDIO1 and AUDIO2, but not on MoonSOund. How to enable that?

Manuel, I think AUDIO2 and Moonsound share I/O ports, dont they?

By Manuel

Ascended (18724)

07-04-2016, 21:51

Um, no, I don't think so. AUDIO2 is on 0xC2 and MoonSOund on 0xC4 and 0x7E. But I see what my mistake was... my vu-meters script in openMSX doesn't support the FM part of it... so it's probably working fine

By NYYRIKKI

Enlighted (5917)

07-04-2016, 21:56

Original FM-PAC has this extra feature that it can turn it self off if there is internal MSX-MUSIC present. How ever for some reason they left there a feature that you can use it anyway trough memory I/O without using the standard I/O ports.

MSX-AUDIO works in I/O ports #C0 & #C1 normally. 2nd MSX-AUDIO works on I/O ports #C2 & #C3. Moonsound can be dipped to be compatible with MSX-AUDIO, but default setting (that this program expects) is that it works in I/O ports #C4 - #C7

ADPCM is available only on Philips Music Module and is not supported by the player. (BASIC program can how ever currently support MSX-AUDIO1, but it is not implemented there)

By meits

Scribe (6491)

07-04-2016, 22:06

Got no audio #2 but it works on real hardware... I'm a bit of a tease to Nyyrikki's chip search script though as I do not use the internal MSX-Music but a clone in my slotexpander. So in fact there are three MSX-Musics in my setup :rnff:
It does work as expected though... I just need to load a samplekit as a real Music Module plays a lot of crackling sound if there aren't any samples loaded...

By tvalenca

Paladin (747)

07-04-2016, 22:30

NYYRIKKI wrote:

ADPCM is available only on Philips Music Module and is not supported by the player. (BASIC program can how ever currently support MSX-AUDIO1, but it is not implemented there)

Thanks on the info!

But... what are the non-standard I/O ports of the FM-PAC? Can't find anything like that anywhere? Or do you mean the mirrored ports because MSX hardware wasn't supposed to decode address bit 2? (Meaning ports 78 and 79 instead 7C and 7D)

That behaviour could be implemented on a new MSX-Music clone...

By NYYRIKKI

Enlighted (5917)

07-04-2016, 22:33

Here are the FM-PAC addresses: (Greetz to BiFi)

	7FF4h: write YM-2413 register port (write only)
	7FF5h: write YM-2413 data port (write only)
	7FF6h: activate OPLL (read/write)
	7FF7h: ROM page (read/write)

By NYYRIKKI

Enlighted (5917)

07-04-2016, 23:05

Manuel wrote:

Yes, this works fine on openMSX... I was actually very surprised that the FM-PAC was working correctly out of the box! As far as I know there is not a single program EVER made that would use both MSX-MUSIC and FM-PAC at a same time... and yet it was emulated correctly. I'm impressed!